Book Review: Black Ice (ARC) by Becca Fitzpatrick

October 1, 2014August 30, 20142 Comments

This review is based on an advanced reader’s copy of the novel obtained through snail mail at the permission of Simon and Schuster. This is in no way had an effect on the integrity of my review. Please note that published novel will differ from this ARC.

Genre:

Young Adult, stomach Contemporary, Romantic Thriller

Pages:

392

Part of a Series?:

Standalone Novel

Release Date:

October 7th, 2014

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Sometimes danger is hard to see… until it’s too late.

Britt Pfeiffer has trained to backpack the Teton Range, but she isn’t prepared when her ex-boyfriend, who still haunts her every thought, wants to join her. Before Britt can explore her feelings for Calvin, an unexpected blizzard forces her to seek shelter in a remote cabin, accepting the hospitality of its two very handsome occupants—but these men are fugitives, and they take her hostage.

In exchange for her life, Britt agrees to guide the men off the mountain. As they set off, Britt knows she must stay alive long enough for Calvin to find her. The task is made even more complicated when Britt finds chilling evidence of a series of murders that have taken place there… and in uncovering this, she may become the killer’s next target.

But nothing is as it seems in the mountains, and everyone is keeping secrets, including Mason, one of her kidnappers. His kindness is confusing Britt. Is he an enemy? Or an ally?

My Review:

This book has been floating around on my radar for quite some time now. I tried to get my hands on it at ALA but I had failed, and I’ve been avoiding getting ARCs on Edelweiss or NetGalley unless I really want them, so I just thought, well, if I’d like to, I’ll buy it in October. I’ve admittedly never read anything by Becca before so I wasn’t in any rush. I was pretty excited actually when I received it in the mail and it seemed to be just the thing I needed to get through an epic reading slump.

What I loved about this book is that it unexpected in every way. The thriller part of the description is completely true. From the moment that we met the two men, Mason and Shaun, I’m terrified. These kinds of things…they are more true to life than any fantasy or science fiction that I read. Girls get kidnapped, assaulted, raped, all sorts of things all the time so it was terrifying, especially after the initial encounter we have with one of the boys earlier in the novel. It was incredibly surprising. I finished it so quickly because I had no idea what was going to happen next, what twists and turns it would make, and where I would end up. It was incredibly gripping and it kept me turning the pages, easily. In the middle of a book slump, as well. Well done, Becca, for taking me out of that, finally!

I also loved the romance! It came from such a random spot and the ending that it took was just…so random. But I loved it. The whole novel I wasn’t quite sure who to root for, who the good guy was or who the bad guy was. It was so confusing and made scenes with different boys seems so incredibly complicated. Another reason for me to keep reading. I had to know what was going to happen next, how it was going to end. Its a complete page turner. That always seems to be a mark of a good book, the ability to keep you addicted the entire time, where you keep turning the pages, just one more chapter, just one more chapter, because you can’t stand not knowing what is going to happen next. That is completely accomplished in that novel.

Plus, I’m really interested in survival lately. I write a lot of survival scenes in my novel so when I see characters attempting to survive, making a perilous journey, I immediately get sucked in. As soon as it starts to snow, I knew that things were about to go down. Not only are we dealing with kidnappers, possible murderers, possible love interests, and all that sort of thing, but we’re also dealing with the elements. There are literally so many things against Britt in this novel, its unreal! But watching as she faces them all, including all the survival stuff, is just fun. I think this book would actually make a really great movie.

I’m excited for this to be released this book so I can pick up a finished copy and Becca will be doing an event here soon so I’ll be able to meet her and talk to her about this super great book. I’m feeling a little bit more open to reading her previous novels now so let’s see how it goes! Don’t forget to pick up Black Ice this week!

Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: As Long As You Love Me by Ann Aguirre

September 29, 2014September 26, 2014Leave a comment

This review is based a review copy given to me by Ann Aguirre and her publicity team. This is no way had any influence on this honest, viagra spoiler free review

Genre:

New Adult, physician Romance

Pages:

352

Part of a Series?:

Second Book in the 2B series

Release Date:

September 30th, 2014

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Most people dream about getting out of Sharon, Nebraska, but after three years away, Lauren Barrett is coming home. There are the justifications she gives to everyone else—missing her family, losing her college scholarship. And then there’s the reason Lauren can’t admit to anyone: Rob Conrad, her best friend’s older brother.

Football prowess and jaw-dropping good looks made Rob a star in high school. Out in the real world, his job and his relationships are going nowhere. He can’t pinpoint exactly what’s missing until Lauren comes back to town, bringing old feelings and new dreams with her. But he’s the guy that women love and leave—not the one who makes them think of forever.

Though she’s terrified of opening up, Lauren’s ready to take that chance. Because the only thing more important than figuring out where you truly belong is finding the person you were meant to be with.

My Review:

While there will be no spoilers for this novel in this review, there will be spoilers for the first novel, I Want It That Way. You can check out the review for that novel here.

I had absolutely loved the first installment of this series, featuring Nadia and Ty, and I knew that I wanted to read the rest of the series, definitely. Ann posted that she needed reviewers for her books and I immediately signed up in the hopes of getting this book, and I was successful. YES.

Now, I’m not going to say that this book is bad. Because that is definitely not the truth. There are a LOT of things that I highly enjoyed about this book and I’m going to talk about that first.

First off, I really loved Lauren, the main character. When we get to know her in I Want It That Way, we learn that she’s having a tough time, that college just isn’t working for her and that she wants to go home, back to the place that she’s comfortable with. Nadia, the MC of that novel, is frustrated and has a hard time but I immediately felt a kinship with her and this increased tenfold in this novel, where Lauren gets her own story. She has a lot of the same issues that I have struggled with myself, the shyness that people don’t see because you’re so good at hiding it. The anxiety. The insecurities. The anxiety. Lauren was a character I could connect with so much because of the anxieties she had and hid so well, and her aversion to change.

I also liked just the general story of it. You never know where you’re going to find love and I think Lauren finding it with her best friend’s brother, the boy she’s had a crush on for most of her life…I think that’s not only super cute, but its fun. Its expected but not. Its like…a fantasy of your own school girl crush coming to life and I really liked it. It was really sweet more than anything else. Rob and Lauren had a sweet story and watching them fall in love was addicting and fun, and I loved the unpredictability of it. What happens later in the story, that rocks their relationship off its course, really came unexpectedly to me. I knew something would happen but what happened completely blew me away and I like being surprised in romance novels. That makes me happy.

Plus, whew, those steamy scenes. I was in love with both of them so much after each sexy scene. Rob and Lauren spend a lot of time building up their physical romance and they had ME panting for them to do more which caused for some sexy anticipation that kept me turning the pages.

The only thing that really didn’t give me the full five stars vibe was that it seemed to take awhile to really get to what a conflict would be. It seemed like the first 3 quarters of the novel was spent with their romance, which was great but I couldn’t really figure out if anything was actually going to happen, to stir things up. It took a while to get to that, and so it was kind of a struggle to keep turning the pages. I was waiting for the drama to unfold, like it does with most romances, and it seemed to take awhile. It was only my love of the first novel that really kept me from shutting the book and I’m glad I stuck with it. But if you don’t have the resolve, it might be hard to get past the big chunk of romance to get to the conflict of the actual novel.

Other than that though, another winning romance new adult book by Ann. I’m eagerly awaiting for the third one (which I just requested an early copy on NetGalley, eek!), especially since its about two characters that I think are going to be SUPER fun to read about. If you haven’t read the first one, definitely head out to a bookstore and pick it up and pick up THIS particular novel tomorrow when it releases!

Rating:

3.75 out of 5 Stars

Book Review: I Want It That Way by Ann Aguirre

August 30, 20141 Comment

Genre:

New Adult, there Romance

Pages:

352

Part of a Series?:

First in the Series

Release Date:

August 26th, 2014

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Nadia Conrad has big dreams, and she’s determined to make them come true—for her parents’ sake as well as her own. But between maintaining her college scholarship and working at the local day care to support herself, she barely has time to think, let alone date. Then she moves into a new apartment and meets the taciturn yet irresistible guy in 1B….

Daniel Tyler has grown up too fast. Becoming a single dad at twenty turned his life upside down—and brought him heartache he can’t risk again. Now, as he raises his four-year-old son while balancing a full-time construction management job and night classes, a social life is out of the question. The last thing he wants is for four noisy students to move into the apartment upstairs. But one night, Nadia’s and Ty’s paths cross, and soon they can’t stay away from each other.

The timing is all wrong—but love happens when it happens. And you can’t know what you truly need until you stand to lose it.

My Review:

I knew, immediately, when Ann Aguirre announced that she’d be releasing a New Adult series this summer with the titles “I Want It That Way”, “As Long as You Love Me” and “Shape of My Heart”, I just had to read it. I mean, come on, the titles are Backstreet Boys’ songs! Beautiful. Plus Ann is such a sweetheart and I want to read more New Adult novels.

I think the most difficult part of reading this novel for me is that new adult and romance are not what I read. I had to remind myself quite often that its a romance novel, so plot points were SUPPOSED to be like that. I mostly read novels where romance is just one of many facets. I kind of liked that this was a learning experience for me. I told myself I would branch out this year and I really am trying to do that.

Once I was able to really understand and approach the book the right way, different from most of the books I usually read, I really enjoyed it. I still think romance isn’t quite my thing but I think I’m open to reading it more often.

Nadia is the first character in awhile, besides Cath in Fangirl, that I really felt an instant connection to and I think that’s because she’s older. I always feel a connection to the characters I enjoy reading but usually they are teenagers and there are some things I’m dealing with in my own life that are so different than a teenagers: college, midterms, jobs, careers, bills, falling in love in a complicated way. Nadia lives such a normal college life, and so it felt so familiar and easy to read her story. I think the rest of the story became so easy to me because of the connection I made with Nadia from page one.

Especially since she drops a couch and rips her jeans on the first page. That completely sounds like something I would do.

But the story of Nadia and Ty is really beautiful, and I think I loved it so much because of the involvement of Ty’s child. It was hard enough dealing with the complications of Nadia and Ty trying to make their romance work, but throwing in the addition of a child just throws everything through a loop. But despite that, I really spent most of my time in the book slowly falling in love with Ty and slowing falling in love with the little boy too.

Plus, there are some seriously fun and good steamy scenes in there. I think there’s a fine art to writing a really GOOD steamy scene and I think Ann has that down so easily. All the scenes felt right and not just there to add more steam (I hate that), and they made me blush, which is always fun while reading. It enhanced the romance between the two main characters, which I loved, and it wasn’t steamy just for the sake of that.

Bottom line, great beginning to the series. I loved that it left off on the two characters that are going to be featured in the next book, enough so that you will be curious and want to read the rest of the series. I definitely can’t wait for the release of the next book!

Rating:

4 out of 5 Stars

Book Review: Love and Other Unknown Variables (ARC) by Shannon Alexander

August 29, 2014August 29, 2014Leave a comment

This review is based on an advanced reader’s copy of the novel obtained through NetGalley at the permission of Entangled Publications. This is in no way had an effect on the integrity of my review. Please note that published novel will differ from this ARC.

Genre:

Young Adult, visit web Contemporary Fiction

Pages:

352

Part of a Series?:

Standalone Novel

Release Date:

October 7th, 2014

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Charlie Hanson has a clear vision of his future. A senior at Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, he knows he’ll graduate, go to MIT, and inevitably discover solutions to the universe’s greatest unanswered questions. He’s that smart. But Charlie’s future blurs the moment he reaches out to touch the tattoo on a beautiful girl’s neck.

The future has never seemed very kind to Charlotte Finch, so she’s counting on the present. She’s not impressed by the strange boy at the donut shop—until she learns he’s a student at Brighton where her sister has just taken a job as the English teacher. With her encouragement, Charlie orchestrates the most effective prank campaign in Brighton history. But, in doing so, he puts his own future in jeopardy.

By the time he learns she’s ill—and that the pranks were a way to distract Ms. Finch from Charlotte’s illness—Charlotte’s gravitational pull is too great to overcome. Soon he must choose between the familiar formulas he’s always relied on or the girl he’s falling for (at far more than 32 feet per second squared).

My Review:

When I saw this title on edelweiss, it immediately caused me to pause. Math things like that always kind of catch my eye because my boyfriend has a bachelors degree in math and he actually likes reading books about math. For fun. I know, he’s weird. But by extension, math things catch my eye too now. Not because I particularly love math but it reminds me of him. I also saw that it was an Entangled publication and immediately hit request. I love Entangled to death.

I love the characters so much. I think characters are the most important part of a novel and that is exactly what brings me into this book. Charlie and Charlotte both seem incredibly real to me. Charlie especially so because even though he’s kind of too smart for his own good and it almost gets irritating, he’s also incredibly genuine. He can figure out these weird crazy math problems but…he can’t figure out how to act around a girl, and he’s still a total teenager. I love that. I also love Charlotte because she’s full of life and full of sass and literally brightens up a room, which is why finding out she’s so ill is such a damper. Seriously. I was like, oh come on, but she’s awesome, she can’t be sick!

What really caught me in this book is that it could just run into other books. Romance is not new. Cancer is not new. Kids with cancer with romance laced into it is definitely not new (The Fault in Our Stars anyone?) What easily could have been a book that I tossed aside because of a simple “been there, done that” was actually proven quite wrong when I pushed past the revelation of Charlotte’s illness and kept reading.

Because there’s so much more to the book. The book is centered on Charlie and while his romance with Charlotte is incredibly important, its also the effect that she has on the rest of his life. She shows him the beauty of other things besides math and science. She unintentionally brings him to his elderly neighborhood, who teaches him so much and leaves an incredible impact on his life. She brings him to her sister, his literature teacher, and helps him develop a new love for reading. And she also brings him closer to his own sister. I think that’s the biggest part of the book that I love. This book could be wrapped up simply as a book about kids with cancer but its so much more than that. Its a book about how much a person can impact our lives in such a short amount of time and how beautiful and sometimes incredibly devastating it is.

Plus, its just funny. I related to Charlotte so much and Charlie reminded me of my boyfriend and their initial runaround each other is just so sweet and believable. They kind of fumble their way through their friendship and more and I loved it. It was more than just about everything going on around them. Their romance was sweet, genuine and addicting and I was rooting for them the entire book.

Basically, it comes down to this: I stayed up until 2 am to finish reading this book. And I had to read it on my phone because my Nook wasn’t charged…which is NO easy feat. But I super enjoyed it and I’m anxious for it to be published so that I can share it with others. It hits bookstores in early October so make sure to get your hands on a copy!

Rating:

4 out of 5 Stars

Rating:

Book Review: Exile by Kevin Emerson

August 13, 2014August 12, 2014Leave a comment

Genre:

Young Adult, find Contemporary Fiction, nurse Romance

Pages:

320

Part of a Series?:

The first of a two part series

Release Date:

April 29th, what is ed 2014

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Catherine Summer Carlson knows how to manage bands like a professional—she’s a student at the PopArts Academy at Mount Hope High, where rock legends Allegiance to North got their start. Summer knows that falling for the lead singer of her latest band is the least professional thing a manager can do. But Caleb Daniels isn’t an ordinary band boy—he’s a hot, dreamy, sweet-singing, exiled-from-his-old-band, possibly-with-a-deep-dark-side band boy. And he can do that thing. That thing when someone sings a song and it inhabits you, possesses you, and moves you like a marionette to its will.

Summer also finds herself at the center of a mystery she never saw coming. When Caleb reveals a secret about his long-lost father, one band’s past becomes another’s present, and Summer finds it harder and harder to be both band manager and girlfriend. She knows what the well-mannered Catherine side of her would do, but she also knows what her heart is telling her. Maybe it’s time to accept who she really is, even if it means becoming an exile herself. . . .

My Review:

I absolutely adored this book. I met Kevin Emerson when he did a book signing with Kiera Cass a few months ago while she was on tour promoting The One. His book sounded pretty cool, he produced music to go along with it, which is awesome, he played some music at the book event and he had a sonic screwdriver during the entire event. That, in my mind, was enough for me to want to grab this book.

Unfortunately I was unable to pick it up that night but I did eventually pick it up and I read through it very very quickly. I loved the simplicity of the story, the love of music, the band atmosphere, and the ambition and determination of all the characters. I could be incredibly biased. The main character is a band manager/band girlfriend. I’m not a band manager, nor would I ever be something like that because the idea of wrangling four to five guys together sounds truly awful. But I have been a band girlfriend. My first boyfriend was in a band, my second boyfriend was a musician and my current boyfriend and love of my life has been in a band and is a musician. I’m THE band girlfriend, it feels like.

So the story between Summer and Caleb…it felt familiar in so many ways. The struggle to be with an emotional musician, with high ambitions, without adding all the other drama in…that is so familiar and it read so familiar on the page. Their relationship seemed very real and genuine and I think that’s what makes it such a good story. They have a give and take, the good and the bad. Caleb struggles to keep Summer different as a girlfriend and a manager. Summer struggles to actually be the manager and a girlfriend. Dating a musician, a cute musician whose the lead singer, so naturally brings girls to them without even really having to do anything? Yeah, not easy, and all of this is wrapped up into the story and it feels so real and beautiful.

I think that Kevin Emerson has a way of writing a beautiful and genuine love story while also writing a story about a little band with big dreams, and I think that’s something that everyone can relate to. Everyone has big dreams, dreams that seem so big and encompassing that they’re overwhelming and huge and they seem like they will never come true. Its a story of a band trying to make it, and when they learn something about one of their members that could make them huge, easily, its more than that. Its a struggle between wanting to make it big but wanting to do the work themselves, wanting it to be about them and their music and I just loved every single bit of it.

What really gets anyone about this book is that its about music and love, and I think these are two things that anyone can relate to on some level, especially music. Music is something that transcends everything. Everyone likes music, and they like different music and they like music for different reasons. The music jumps off the page and grabs you in and the fact that there is actual music that goes along with the book just makes it that much better.

I honestly definitely recommend it. In a YA world where fantasy, science fiction and dystopian are ruling the shelves (not that there is anything wrong with it, says the aspiring science fiction writer), it is nice to immerse yourself in a romantic, emotional story about a girl and a boy and a band. Its a quick read, its fun and swoon worthy and I think that you all will like it very much.

Rating:

4 out of 5 stars

Book Review: Silver Shadows by Richelle Mead (Spoiler Free)

August 4, 2014August 4, 2014Leave a comment

Note: There will be a spoiler filled review uploaded on YouTube within the next couple days.

Genre:

Young Adult, medical Fantasy

Pages:

380

Part of a Series?:

This is the 5th novel in the Bloodlines Series

Release Date:

July 29th, diagnosis 2014

You Can Find the Book At:

GoodReads Summary:

Sydney Sage is an Alchemist, one of a group of humans who dabble in magic and serve to bridge the worlds of humans and vampires. They protect vampire secrets—and human lives.

In The Fiery Heart, Sydney risked everything to follow her gut, walking a dangerous line to keep her feelings hidden from the Alchemists.

Now in the aftermath of an event that ripped their world apart, Sydney and Adrian struggle to pick up the pieces and find their way back to each other. But first, they have to survive.

For Sydney, trapped and surrounded by adversaries, life becomes a daily struggle to hold on to her identity and the memories of those she loves. Meanwhile, Adrian clings to hope in the face of those who tell him Sydney is a lost cause, but the battle proves daunting as old demons and new temptations begin to seize hold of him. . . .

Their worst fears now a chilling reality, Sydney and Adrian face their darkest hour in this heart-pounding fifth installment in the New York Times bestselling Bloodlines series, where all bets are off.

My Review:

Please note that while this review will have no spoilers for Silver Shadows, there will be spoilers for the rest of the Bloodlines series.

When I first picked up the Vampire Academy series just about a year ago, I didn’t know that it would lead to me to two incredible series that would literally change my life. The characters, the stories, all of it, means so incredibly much to me and in such a short period of time. I already have a VA tattoo because of it. After the end of VA, I felt empty, until I picked up a copy of Bloodlines, and literally sped through that series. To say that I was dying to read Silver Shadows at the end of the Fiery Heart would be a vast understatement.

I woke up on Tuesday, on release date, and immediately got ready and went out to buy my copy. I found it, clutched it to my chest and didn’t let it out of my sight until I got home. I then warned everyone that I would be disappearing for awhile while I read the book. I read it in less than four hours, which already goes to show you how much I enjoyed this book.

When I read Fiery Heart, I wasn’t a huge fan of the split point of view. I understand why she did it but it helped me keep my resolve as Indigo Spell as my favorite. Now in Silver Shadows, the split point of view was definitely necessary to the point of the story. Adrian and Sydney are separated, Adrian remaining in Palm Springs and Sydney in some unknown location as the Alchemists attempt to “re-educate” her. In this novel, I found myself eager for each of their points of view, hoping, with each turn of the page, that their stories would finally intersect and they would be back together. I really enjoyed the split POV and I hope she continues this in The Ruby Circle.

One thing that I really enjoyed about this novel, something that just kept me pushing page after page, until the end was Sydney Sage. I know that sounds weird because she’s the main character of the series but I’ve mostly read for Adrian more than Sydney. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Sydney but I think she really became one of my favorite characters, period, in this book. The strength that she shows, the resolve, the fact that she is determined and doesn’t stop trying. She is absolutely incredible in this novel. She blows me away, and I always kind of held her second best to Rose Hathaway but I think she’s her equal, just in a different way. I really began to truly appreciate Sydney in this novel.

I also liked the story of it. There was a lot more built into it than just the recovery of Sydney. It was a struggle for Adrian, handling his spirit and his vices and that sort of thing. He is miserable and he literally sends himself into a spiral. Its about his relationship to other people besides Sydney (and Jill and Eddie and Angeline), and his family, and even his friends back at Court, like Lissa, Rose and Dimitri. I love that Sydney’s story is more than just her own in the re-education center. We really get to see the person she’s become and what she’s willing to do to help not only herself but others as well.

And I mean, keeping this as spoiler free as possible, but there are some truly excellent Sydrian moments in this novel. Truly. There’s an entire segment with the two of them that I honestly thought I would be horrified by but instead, I was so full of joy and happiness, I could barely handle it. It made sense to the storyline, which is why I liked it. I don’t like things like this happening just for the sake of it. I know this is so vague and you can check out my spoiler filled review for more on that.

Loving all the appearances that Lissa, Rose and Dimitri make. My loves!

And OHMYGOD that cliffhanger. I can’t handle that cliffhanger. Just when you think …okay, everything is going to be okay, I can handle this, Richelle leaves us literally panicking on the last page, wondering what on earth could possibly happen next. Literally, I would sell my kidney to find out what happens next, maybe even a lung or two. I mean, those aren’t important right? I’m just saying. With a cliffhanger like that, anyone would want to read the next book!

Stay tuned for my spoiler filled vlog coming soon!

Rating:

4.5 out of 5 Stars